I Need Your Help
by Angie J Trifid
Summary: After all those years, Buzz, Woody and Sid somehow never quite imagined the day when they'd look at each other and say those four vital words: "I need your help". BuzzxJessie, WoodyxBo, SidxOC
1. Prologue: Deal

**A/N: Howdy! I don't own **_**Toy Story**_** *sniff*.**

**Wow… I really gotta stop coming up with ideas for stories.**

* * *

**Prologue: Deal**

Sid Phillips had never been crazy. He knew it all along, only he never let on. His mom would sometimes come into his room and see him talking to all his toys, but as far as she knew, he just had a wild imagination. Of course, he knew something she didn't.

He had once been the owner from hell, blowing up toys for the heck of it. Then one day this cowboy doll and a Buzz Lightyear action figure had changed everything. They had shown him that toys were alive… and willing to fight back.

So after that, Sid knew his toys were alive, and he often chatted to them. They all played games, knowing full well he would keep the secret, and felt safe to come to life around him – _after_ he got over the shock of it all. And he only ever blew up toys then if they asked him to – if they were badly broken or damaged – to put them out of their misery; to save them from going where every toy fears. Some call it _Las Cinco Muertes_, but most just call it: the dump.

That was why he became a garbage man – so he could save toys from the dump. He had his own house now, and a whole massive room – the master bedroom – had been specially extended to the size of a large classroom, and carefully designed specifically for the toys. Hannah, his younger sister, thought it was stupid. But the toys were always very appreciative of it.

And Rikki – Rikki had liked it, too. She wasn't the first girl he ever liked, but she was certainly the first girl who didn't think he was crazy, and the only girl his age that he knew who shared his love of toys.

Sid looked at the floppy cowboy doll in his hands – the one who had stopped his reign of terror – and smiled.

"Alright, Woody," he said. "You've got yourself a deal."

They shook on it.

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**A/N: Yeah, I should probably update another story, too. Hee-hee.**


	2. A New Side to Sid

**A/N: Howdy! I don't own **_**Toy Story**_** *sniff*.**

**Chapter One: A New Side to Sid**

* * *

Woody stared out the window for a long moment. Huh – he'd never noticed _that_ before.

"What's going on, Woody?" Buzz asked, walking up to his old friend. Woody turned around and smiled, glad to see his two best friends there. Jessie smiled, holding Buzz's hand.

"I don't want to worry you," Woody said.

"You won't," Buzz reassured.

"Well, do you remember Sid?"

Jessie, of course, looked confused. She'd never lived in the house next to Sid's, so she'd never had the displeasure of having to know who he was. Buzz, on the other hand, grimaced.

"Yes…" Buzz answered slowly.

"Who's Sid?"

"One of those garbage men we saw looks just like him," Woody muttered thoughtfully. "And – and I think he lives in the house opposite."

"It's been up for sale," Jessie pointed out. "And who's Sid?"

"It _was_ sold recently," Buzz muttered.

Jessie dug her heels into the floor. "Will somebody _please_ tell me who this Sid guy is?"

Woody turned back toward the window and continued to watch the house. It couldn't be – could it? Was it really Sid Philips, Toy Torturer Extraordinaire? He let Buzz explain it all to Jessie, as she gasped in shock and horror, and watched for a sign – maybe a toy desperately signalling from the window, or a firework – to tell him he was right.

"…and Woody thinks that's Sid across the street?" Jessie asked; her eyes wide.

"Yup," Buzz nodded.

"Oh – that's awful!" Jessie dragged Buzz and Woody into hugs that were so tight they could hardly breathe. Woody glanced at Buzz, who looked more than pleased at the physical contact, despite the problem it caused.

"Jessie!" Woody complained in a strangled voice. "I… can't… breathe…"

"Oh!" Jessie let go and both the guy toys collapsed, leaving Jessie on her feet, blushing a bit. "Sorry 'bout that!"

"'s 'kay," Buzz slurred, disorientated. Woody glared and punched him in the arm.

"Woody!" Jessie scolded, slapping the cowboy's shoulder.

"Ouch!" Woody complained. Jessie stuck her tongue out at him and sniggered.

"Hard to believe you're fifty," Woody teased.

Big mistake. Surely Woody knew better than to mention Jessie's age?

Jessie's face hardened and she glared furiously at him. She was about to lunge when Buzz grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close, so that she couldn't kill Woody. Jessie tried to struggle free but Buzz's grip around her waist was too tight.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "I'll get him for you."

Jessie stopped struggling and Buzz slowly – Woody figured his best friend either was being careful in case Jessie tried to attack while she could, or that Buzz just wanted the moment of contact to last longer; it was hard to tell which – released his grip on the cowgirl's waist.

Buzz stole Jessie's hat, whacked Woody with it, and placed it gently back on Jessie's head. In response, Jessie removed her hat and whacked Buzz with it.

"You leave my hat outta this, Buzz," she teased. She hadn't hit him very hard. Jessie gave Buzz a tight hug which he returned eagerly, and Woody turned back to the window before the painful memories of his time with Bo Peep hit him.

Woody wondered if Sid had a girlfriend. He wondered if, perhaps, Sid had a _wife_. Maybe Sid was still the same. But what if he wasn't? What would Sid be like now? Had he started being nicer to his toys and his sister?

* * *

Sid Phillips rolled out of bed the next morning and smashed his palm down onto the alarm clock. He groaned slightly and then stood up. It was very early in the morning and he hadn't been able to sleep last night. In the end he'd slept in the room he'd had made specially for all his toys, because they were truly great comforts to him. He'd also had to take the last of his cold medicine to make himself drowsy enough to drop off.

Sid sat up and yawned, realising he'd slept in his clothes last night. He looked around – he was in his bedroom again. There was a single Combat Carl on his dresser, smiling at him.

"And I suppose I should thank you guys for bringing me back here?" Sid asked sleepily.

The Combat Carl nodded, but he couldn't say anything. Sid was a garbage man, and he had rescued this particular toy from the dump, after his voice system had broken – the Carl was completely mute.

"Thanks," Sid muttered, rubbing his eyes. He picked up the mute Carl and carried him back into the Toy Room. "Don't worry, man. I'll find you a new voice box – or the parts for one – eventually."

The Carl smiled in thanks and Sid walked into his bathroom. He was still half asleep, so he ran some cold water in the sink and dunked his face in it. Then he quickly showered and pulled on his best pants and a white shirt.

Sid _was_ a garbage man – most of the time. It was what he did to pay the bills and put bread on the table. But his other job – the one which got less work, but paid more and got him all the modern stuff he could afford – was restoring toys, because that was how he was now. And it just so happened that today, Sid was going to be spending a long time working for his best client, Al McWiggen.

Sid grabbed his case and jumped into his sports car, heading off to the nicest part of the city district of the tri-county area. He knew all the shortcuts perfectly, because Al didn't realise the simplicity, ease and satisfaction of helping a toy yourself. But what Sid liked the most about his line of work was that Al was never in the room, and that toys always knew if somebody knew the Secret: toys were alive. One of the best parts of this was being able to reassure nervous toys, and help to refine his technique by getting their opinion on his work.

Sid pulled up outside Al's massive apartment block and pushed the intercom. He looked at the new car he didn't recognise – truck really. It looked like the truck Bella had from _Twilight_ (Hannah had wanted to see it and Sid had offered to take her), only this truck seemed to have been entirely hand-built from spare parts and was painted an inky colour, somewhere between blue and black. Maybe the engine was quiet, too. Sid wanted to admire the truck a while longer, but Al answered on the other end of the intercom. Al let him in and he took the elevator straight to the top floor. When Sid rang the bell to Al's apartment, however, it was not a balding, middle-aged man who answered.

It was a girl who answered – a very pretty girl about his age. She had pale skin which was covered in freckles, her mess of frizzy ginger hair was swept back in a high ponytail and her eyes were a light, delicate shade of violet. She smiled lightly at him. She was wearing heavy boots, thick gloves and blue overalls.

"Sid, right?" she asked.

Sid nodded, his voice catching in his throat.

"I'm Rikki McWiggen," the girl said, extending her hand. "Al's niece."

"Sid Phillips," Sid choked out. He shook her hand and she smiled.

"Uncle Al!" Rikki McWiggen called out over her shoulder. "Sid's here!"

"Let him in!" Sid heard Al call.

Al's niece stood aside to let Sid in and closed the door behind him. Al walked in then, in his usual bowling shirt and too-large pants.

"Sid!" Al cried. "Oh, thank God you're here! I need your help! I found these two priceless old toys, and one the museum are gonna give me money for, too, but they really need sorting out, especially the –"

"Woah, Al," Sid said calmly. "Breathe. Who am I dealing with here?"

Sid never said _what_ – he realised it could be rather offensive to toys.

"There's a Stinky Pete from _Woody's Round-Up_ – not mint in the box, but that doesn't matter – and a porcelain Little Bo Peep – there are only a few left in the world – and an original Lotso Huggin' Bear – the originals are worth –"

"And what's wrong with them?" Sid interrupted quickly, before Al had the chance to start ranting.

"I got the Pete from some girl called Amy – he's been drawn on and coloured in pink and – you get the idea. The Bo is fine, but a little worn; the paint needs redoing. The Bear, though, he looks like he's been tied to a garbage truck, and he's in a horrifying condition!"

"Okay," Sid told Al calmly. "I'll see what I can do."

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**A/N: Okay, I hope you liked it! I'm going to try and update **_**Commander Lightyear and El Buzzo**_** next, but in the meantime, review!**


	3. Bo's Message

**A/N: Howdy! I don't own **_**Toy Story**_** *sniff*.**

**Caralina100: Dammit! How did you figure out my plan!**

**VICTORY 4 ZIM: Thankies! I hope this is a quick enough update!**

**Celeste38: Thanks; will do!**

**CrystalTinkerbell: Heh, too bad. This story isn't getting exciting… yet.**

**Swann Shooter: Yeah, let's hope. In fact, I hope this story doesn't get too random.**

**Addicted2SONIC4evr: Aww, thanks! Hmm yes, maybe Woody scared all the badness out of Sid (this is the point where my Jessie doll tells me Woody IS pretty scary). And as to how Al found them all at once: heck knows. Good timing, I guess. Maybe he stole Lotso and Bo, like he did to Woody.**

**love this: Okey-dokey. Here ya go!**

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**Chapter Two: Bo's Message**

"Hey, Jess! You wanna play tag?"

Woody, Buzz and Dolly were waiting to see what Jessie said. Jessie looked at Trixie, who she'd been talking to about videogames.

"Go ahead," Trixie said. "I think I'll go kick Rex's butt at Mario Cart."

Jessie laughed. "You do that."

She didn't bother mentioning that Trixie and Rex, apart from both being dinosaurs, were the two biggest videogame fanatics she knew, and would look pretty cute as a couple. Instead, Jessie hopped off the desk to join the others.

"…oh, well I suppose that's alright."

Hamm hollered, "Bonnie's mom's coming!" and everyone dropped where they were. Rex and Trixie had to move away from the videogame controllers, of course, or they could risk revealing the Secret. Buzz and Jessie didn't have to drop; they were already on the ground – Buzz had tackled Jessie around the waist moments ago.

The door opened to reveal Bonnie's mom and the garbage man who looked a lot like Sid. He was in a pair of smart trousers and a white shirt. He was also carrying a case. He scoped the room until he found Woody.

"Thank you, Mrs Anderson," he said. "Could I please have some privacy?"

"Er… sure."

Bonnie's mom withdrew, closing the door behind her. The toys could tell by the way the man looked around the room. _This guy knows._

The man picked Woody up.

"Sherriff Woody," he said. "Remember me?"

Woody raised his head and blinked, as the others cautiously stood up. "Sid Phillips?"

"Yeah," Sid replied. "I thought you'd remember."

Woody stared up at Sid. His teeth looked great now, nothing like the absolute wreck they once were. He had dark hair, and a fair tan, and Sid was now almost unrecognisable as the evil next-door neighbour who had once strapped Buzz to a rocket and burnt a mark onto Woody's forehead.

"What do you want?" Buzz asked dangerously. Sid's eyes slid over to the space toy.

"And here's Buzz Lightyear!" Sid exclaimed. "The party's all complete!"

"Why are you here?" Woody demanded.

"Oh, right!" Sid opened the case and began to search through it. "I got a job – might be hired full time – working for Al McWiggen. I fix toys. There were three today – said they knew you."

He pulled out three pictures from the case.

The first picture was of a pink stuffed teddy bear, smiling and waving happily and the camera. Jessie's eyes narrowed, Buzz flinched and Woody glared hard enough to burn holes through the picture.

"Said his name was –"

"Lotso," Woody told Sid. "We know."

Sid showed them the second picture. It was a fat old man with tiny legs, trying to smile at the camera. The smile looked more like a sneer. Buzz stared at the photograph with minor recognition, gasping in shock when Jessie practically collided with him, scared so much she would have collapsed, had Buzz not been there to hold her up. And again, Woody's glare had the workings of a lit match.

"Another familiar face?" Sid asked.

"The Prospector," Jessie breathed.

"Stinky Pete," Woody growled angrily.

"Okay… well, this one should capture your interest," Sid told them – especially Woody.

He showed them the third picture.

* * *

Sid watched their reactions carefully. The cowgirl doll – Al called her Jessie – looked like she'd had all the shock she could take, and then some. The Buzz Lightyear action figure, already supporting the weight of himself and the Jessie doll, almost dropped her. Some of the other toys seemed surprised, too, but Sid had been looking specifically for the Sherriff Woody doll's reaction.

Like the others, the cowboy gasped. He stopped glaring; his gaze softened, and now he looked like he was about to cry.

Sid knew he was in the right place. After all, what other Sherriff Woody collectibles had met that charming porcelain lamp with the long gold hair, big blue eyes and pink dress? In the picture, Little Bo Peep was smiling pleasantly and waving.

Sid felt awkward. He knew Sherriff Woody must really care about Bo Peep. He offered the photograph to the cowboy.

"She asked me to see you," he said. "She wanted me to give you a message. She still thinks about you, and she still l…loves you. She says, she misses you every day."

The cowboy picked up the picture and smiled. He still looked like he was going to cry.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"It's nothing," Sid shrugged. "Really, I do this sort of thing all the time now. In fact, thank _you_, Sherriff Woody. You stopped me being the evil kid I once was; you made me a better person. So… thanks."

"Glad to know I got something right," Sherriff Woody laughed.

"What did you get wrong?" Sid asked.

The Sherriff looked at the picture again and seemed to blink back tears. "I let her go. Bo, I mean."

"You still miss her," Sid stated.

"I still _love_ her," Sherriff Woody sniffed.

"Oh."

They all sat in an awkward silence for a while, Sid wanting to put off what he knew he had to say until the very last minute.

Eventually, there was nothing else to say.

"She gave me a message to everyone," Sid told them quietly. "She says goodbye."

"What?" Woody asked.

"They're all going," Sid continued, trying to get off the subject as fast as he possibly could. "Bo Peep, Lotso and the Prospector. The guys send their regards and said, good riddance."

"Stop," the Woody doll said. He climbed up Sid's face, until they were both looking each other directly in the eye. "Sid, where are they going?"

"Tokyo," Sid told him. "That's in Japan."

The Jessie doll smirked for a moment.

"Sid!" the cowboy complained. "You gotta help me, _please_! I can't let Bo go to Japan! I gotta get her back."

"But I –"

"Please," the Sherriff begged. "Sid, have you ever been in love? I mean, _really_ in love? Where when you met her she was just so beautiful you couldn't get your words out, but she was really nice to you and you knew you liked her and you didn't wanna leave any place where she was?"

Sid noticed the Buzz Lightyear toy nod and smile, holding the Jessie doll a bit tighter. Sid nearly laughed. Then he thought carefully.

Had he ever really felt like that? No. He didn't have a girl in his life, and he didn't care. He didn't really know any girls he liked that much, anyway.

_Rikki_, a small voice from the back of Sid's mind said.

Yes, Sid thought Rikki McWiggen was pretty. And she was interesting. The home-made truck belonged, as it turned out, to Rikki. She'd watched him work as the toys remained still. She was a mechanic – she'd told him so. Or at least, she was training to be. at the moment it wasn't her job just yet. And he'd felt disappointed when she'd had to go to work. Sid had enjoyed Rikki's company.

"Yeah," Sid answered slowly. "Sure I do, Sherriff. I think."

"Please, Sid," the Sherriff asked. "Help me get her back. You owe me, for making you a better person."

"I gave you the message," Sid told him stubbornly. "So we're even."

The Woody doll sighed. "Okay."

It was Sid's job to help toys. He felt guilty about not helping the toys that had once helped him.

Where was she? Rikki had promised to call. What was keeping her?

The phone rang; Sid dived for it.

"Rikki?"

"Woody," answered the Sherriff doll's voice. "I don't know who this Rikki is, but we need to talk."

"Look, I can't –"

"It's important."

"Can it wait?"

"No. We'll be over in five minutes."

Sid sighed, agreed and rang off. Five minutes later, the doorbell shrilled.

It was the Sherriff Woody doll, the Jessie doll, Sherriff Woody's horse – Bullseye – and the Buzz Lightyear action figure. Sid ushered them inside and closed the door.

"What?"

"Tell Bo I love her, too."

Sid stared. "Is that it?"

"No," the Buzz Lightyear said. "He's just lonely. We came to warn you, actually. The Prospector is crazy, and Lotso is –"

"Evil," the Jessie doll said flatly.

"Alrighty," Sid muttered. "But why are you –?"

"If you won't help me get Bo back," Sherriff Woody said. "If you won't do that, then at least save her. _Please_."

"You really care that much?" Sid asked.

"Heck yeah," the cowboy replied.

The phone rang. Sid went to answer it but the toys stopped him.

"Promise me." The Woody doll said.

"Yeah, sure, I promise… just –" Sid got past them and snatched the phone up.

"Rikki?"

"Oh, are you psychic now, too?"

Sid laughed nervously. "Maybe."

"You sound like a character in a movie, right after they do that shifty-eye thing," Rikki laughed. "Listen, I gotta go across town tomorrow and the drive's too long for my truck to handle – I'll have to pick up some better parts for the engine while I'm there – so can I make a stop at your place around lunchtime? It's about halfway."

"Uh – s-sure. Why not?"

"Great! See ya then." She hung up.

Sid turned around to see the Buzz Lightyear smirking.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Lightyear said.


End file.
